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Yealink announced the commercial launch of its first IP conference phone on 3/13/2015. The new CP860 IP conference phone is designed for small to medium-sized meeting rooms with up to 10 participants (or 16 with optional expansion mic) and offers “diamond-clear” voice conversations to help increase productivity for company meetings.

CP860 combines great audio performance in its diamond shaped body design along with several useful features. Call linkage with PC or mobile soft-phones such as Skype, Lync/Skype for Business, Bria, and more are supported to provide users a convenient UC experience anytime and anywhere. With USB call recording, you can record important meetings for easy call review and record keeping. 5-party conferencing is also supported to help companies improve communications while reducing facility costs.

The Spider is Phoenix Audio’s latest top of line conference phone series delivering HD audio, noise/echo cancellation, dual connectivity, as well as the popular daisy chaining capability. The SIP version MT505 connects to SIP service via Ethernet cable or your computer via USB, while the PSTN version MT502 connects with your analog phone line as well as computer via USB.

Upon opening the package, we can see the Phoenix Audio Spider conference phone came well packed with foam cushioning and cut-outs to prevent shifting damage during transit. The content includes the Spider conference phone, 48V power supply with international adapters, USB cable, and Ethernet cable for SIP version (phone cable instead for PSTN version).

The Phoenix Audio Spider aluminum casing has a more matte finish to help prevent unpleasant finger prints. At 7″ diameter and 1-7/8″ in height the Spider is discrete and visually pleasing. Phoenix Audio also added foam lining to the bottom of the unit to help keep it in place and prevent scratches. The soft-touch keypad is back-lit when active or off when the unit is on standby.

Initial boot-up took a couple minutes then from there on the set-up was pretty simple via Spider’s GUI interface – just minutes after plugging in we are having our first test call. The menu options are pretty self-explanatory via on-screen prompts, but you can also check the user manual for a flow-chart. The settings can be changed both manually on the unit itself or via its web interface.

We tested using the Spider conference phone from various distances up to 7 feet away and is happy to say our voices were picked up very well. Our voices sounded clear and natural for the caller on the other side with minimal or no background noises. The Spider’s proprietary directional beamforming array (seen by blue LED light under Spider’s grill) followed each speaker’s voice around the room with stunning accuracy. (Note: For those who don’t enjoy LED light shows, the red and blue lights can be turned off via menu option.) In conclusion, an individual Phoenix Audio Spider unit would be sufficient for any small to mid-sized conference room and a good conference phone to consider. For larger settings you can daisy-chain up to 14 sub-units for additional expansion.

Many users who are looking for more mobile freedom while still keeping great call quality and business phone features are turning to cordless IP DECT phone systems. There are many cordless DECT phone options in today’s market, but two of the most popular are Yealink’s W52P and Panasonic’s KX-TGP500. With similar price ranges, below is a quick comparison between the 2 models.

Are you currently using a Cisco IP phone system? Cisco is discontinuing their UC solution for SMB customers and have declared it end of life (EOL) for nearly a year. Their EOL announcement included Cisco’s UC300 and UC500 series; the support entitlements for these platforms will begin phasing out January 1, 2015.

For many SMB customers, this is a great time to start replacing those Cisco phone systems with a Digium Switchvox solution – which can often be purchased for less than the annual cost of a Cisco support contract! From now thru September 30 December 31, 2014 Digium will offer additional discounts up to 15% off MSRP to help you make the switch. Simply contact one of our helpful representatives here at The Telecom Spot to start!

Note:

Digium promotion is for qualified product purchases July 1 – September 30, 2014 by end user customers only.

Customers must request this promotional discount at time of order placement as neither Digium nor The Telecom Spot can provide promotional discounts after orders have been invoiced

Only qualified Switchvox products are eligible for the promotional discount. This include Switchvox appliances, Switchvox SMB software, Switchvox subscriptions. A complete list of qualifying products and part numbers are listed below.

This offer does NOT apply to cold spares, updates and maintenance, subscription renewals, phone feature packs, extended hardware warranties, phones, Digium cloud services, or any other items that are not included on list of qualifying products

This promotion applies only to new Switchvox solutions replacing existing Cisco telephony solutions. Digium may contact customer to confirm the replacement for their promotional claim audits.

DrayTek routers incorporate common features such as NAT, DHCP server, Access control, DMZ, DNS forward, SNMP, etc. There are no license costs and DrayTek provides free firmware updates. All features are included except an optional and low-cost subscription to 3rd party web content filter.

Select the right security router today will give you peace of mind and save you and your company more down the road. Contact our helpful sales reps today for more information.

The new Switchvox 80 and 300 series have updated technology, smaller form factor, green design and are competitively priced. Switchvox 80 replaces 65, 310 replaces 305, and 360 replaces 355. The older Switchvox appliances (65, 305, 355) are discontinued as of July 30th (limited stock remains, check with us for availability).

If you’re a current user of the older Switchvox appliances, you can upgrade by purchasing a cold spare of the appliance that you choose instead of purchasing Switchvox with the software license. Then you can upload the last backup to the new appliance and be back up and running! Just make sure the Switchvox software version is 5.7.1 or newer. The old appliance can be put to good use as a failover cold spare for your disaster recovery plan.

*About Digium Switchvox phone systems: Digium Switchvox offers a single powerful set of features you can afford. You pay one low price for all its communication power – it’s an United Communication system that integrates all office communications including phone, fax, chat and web mash-ups. Business that wants to do more than just talk can count on Switchvox to help them easily transition from simple telephony to a feature-rich UC solution. Business users can improve productivity no matter where they are – on a mobile phone or in the office.

Grandstream has just released their new UCM6100 series IP PBX with no licensing fees, bringing enterprise-grade communication solutions to SMBs at affordable entry-level price point! Available in 4 model sizes, Grandstream’s UCM6100 series delivers advanced voice, video, data and mobility applications with a single-server solution. They’re available now at The Telecom Spot at limited quantities – remember to add-to-cart to view our current special pricing!

Despite the increase in popularity for UC conferencing devices, a high percentage of conference speakerphones sold today are still analog. If you are one of the many who are still looking to procure an analog conferencing speakerphone for your personal or small meeting uses then this post will give you a few options to consider.

A personal speakerphone that connects to a variety of devices (including computers, telephones, mobile phones, MP3 players etc) for clear, full-duplex and hands-free communication. Being full-duplex, it lets you listen and talk at the same time without cutting in and out of audio. The sensitive microphone array has 120-degree audio pickup up to 8 feet away so you can talk comfortably. The ClearOne Chat50 also has built-in echo and noise cancellation to prevent unwanted noises.

For analog use, you would connect the Chat50 to your telephone’s headset jack via the provided 2.5mm cable (it’ll also connect with cell-phones). The Chat50 is small, slightly larger than a pack of cards so it takes up minimal footprint and is easy to take for travel. The Chat50 is recommended if you want a good quality, no-fuss, simple-to-use conferencing speakerphone with an economical price. The great thing about the ClearOne chat50 is you can also use it with your computer for webinars or Skype calls so it is more versatile.

Konftel 100 brings you a great conferencing solution for smaller meetings up to 6 people. This device uses Konftel’s proprietary OmniSound HD technology which provides full-duplex natural sound. The 360-degree pick-up and reproduction let you walk and talk freely in the meeting space (up to 300 sqft range). The Konftel 100 also comes with ultra-sensitive omni-directional microphone with 3 built-in surround speakers to provide clear reception throughout the meeting space.

Konftel 100 comes with dial pad and call control (volume, mute, flash, conference etc) buttons right on the front of the unit so you can make and manage your conference calls easily. It plugs directly into your analog jack (bypassing the need of a separate deskphone), or to your phone system with an analog card via a modular 6/6, RJ11 port. Because Konftel 100 only connects via analog, this is recommend if you are looking for a dedicated analog conferencing solution that’s practical, simple-to-use and is great quality. If you would like to try one out, there is currently a 30-day trial offer on Konftel conference phones.

A 3rd option would be the Polycom VoiceStation 300. Similar to Konftel 100 it provides 360-degree room coverage but only up to 7 feet in range. The Polycom VoiceStation 300 is more suited for personal and smaller conferencing with less than 4 participants. The VoiceStation’s Dynamic Noise Reduction (DNR) actively removes background noises and Polycom’s Acoustic Clarity technology delivers clear, natural 2-way conversations.

The VoiceStation 300 also comes with dial pad and call controls (volume, mute, flash, hold etc) buttons on the front of the device and a handset phone can be plugged in for a more private conversation. To use, simply connect the Polycom VoiceStation 300 into any analog phone jack. The Polycom VoiceStation 300 is recommended if you only need analog connection for smaller or personal conferences and are more comfortable going with the Polycom brand.

I hope the options above will help you get started in selecting your analog personal audio conference phone. If you’re looking for a personal conferencing device for your computer webinars or bluetooth devices instead, look forward to our next blog post which will go over just that. If there are any questions please don’t hesitate to leave a comment below or contact us at sales@thetelecomspot.com.

Yealink now offers a new line of cost-effective DECT Cordless Phones designed with small business and SOHO users in mind! The SIP-W52P and its expansion handset SIP-W52H is a scalable SIP-based mobile communication system that packs great features into an affordable price point. With the Yealink SIP-W52P you get both the freedom of wireless communication along with business features normally only found in deskphones. This system will also work on Asterisk, 3CX and Broadsoft with some quick and easy configuration.

Yealink SIP-W52P

Yealink SIP-W52H

Highlighted Features:

Exceptional HD sound with wideband technology

Up to 4 simultaneous external calls

Scalable – Expand up to 5 DECT cordless handsets per base

Up to 5 VoIP accounts

1.8″ color display with intuitive user interface

10 hours talk time, 100 hours standby time

Integrated PoE (Class 1) but with option to use power supply (included)

Desktop or wall mountable

DECT radio coverage up to 50m indoors and 300m outdoors

Energy-saving ECO features

Both products is available and ready to ship at The Telecom Spot. Due to manufacturer MAP restrictions, please contact us or log into the product pages to view our current special pricing. Additional product details and specs are also available on our product page for Yealink SIP-W52P and SIP-W52H.

From time to time we get questions from customers asking “we just need a basic phone system, what would you recommend?” Many of the phone systems we carry are great for small to medium sized companies just starting out, so you really can’t go wrong with any of them. We’ve organized a quick overview on some of the popular phone systems here as a starting point for your search.

No manufacturer programming support for the Elastix version, so if you need support make sure to ask us about the complete PBX version

These are just a few of our favorites based on quality, function and price point, but there are also other SIP based and proprietary phone systems we can recommend as well based on your business communication needs. Contact us today to discuss how we can help.